Every military barrack in Nigeria has a place called ‘mammy market’, a place close to or inside the barracks, where soldiers’ interact and buy their daily needs.
Mammy market was named after a woman called Mammy Maria Ochefu In 1955 in Enugu. Mammy was born in April 10, 1941 in Otukpo, Benue State.
She is the wife of late military Governor of defunct East-Central state, Col. Anthony Aboki Ochefu, where she sold a local non-alcoholic beverage called enyi to support her family.
After taking a week break at home due to complaints from people that the drink attracted flies, pressure from her clients inspired a Lieutenant Colonel to build her a kiosk to make it more conducive.
Her family was later posted out of Enugu to Abeokuta but Mammy continued the business wherever they were posted to while she added snacks that would interest the soldiers’.
Interestingly, whenever her family was transferred to another state, she would hand over the business to women who were interested in it but asked that they retain the name.
Mammy registered her business as “Mammy Market” in 1971. By the time her husband retired, the business had grown into a supermarket and a transport business.
Till date when ever a military barrack is built a mammy market is always built with it.
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